Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy will arrive at the White House on Monday accompanied by a high-profile delegation of European leaders, including European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen, UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer, French President Emmanuel Macron, German Chancellor Friedrich Merz, Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni, Finnish President Alexander Stubb and NATO Secretary-General Mark Rutte. Their joint appearance is intended to show a united front as U.S. President Donald Trump hosts Zelenskyy for talks on ending Russia’s 3½-year-old invasion. The gathering follows Trump’s summit with Russian President Vladimir Putin in Alaska on Friday, after which the U.S. leader abandoned his earlier demand for a cease-fire and said he would push directly for a comprehensive peace agreement. According to people briefed on the Alaska discussions, Putin suggested freezing current front lines if Ukraine ceded all of Donetsk, a proposal Zelenskyy has rejected. European governments spent Sunday coordinating positions in a videoconference dubbed the “coalition of the willing,” stressing that any settlement must include firm security guarantees for Kyiv, no imposed limits on Ukraine’s armed forces and continued pressure through sanctions on Moscow. Von der Leyen said Ukraine must become “a steel porcupine, indigestible for potential invaders.” Washington is considering U.S.-backed guarantees modeled loosely on NATO’s Article 5, U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio indicated, while warning Moscow of further sanctions if talks fail. European Union officials, meanwhile, signaled they will advance a 19th sanctions package should the Kremlin refuse to halt its offensive. Monday’s meeting is Zelenskyy’s first return to the Oval Office since a contentious February encounter and is viewed in Kyiv and European capitals as pivotal to shaping any eventual peace framework.